[Xarmydis]

I have a pair of westone 2's, which I gleefully purchased after being satisfied for a year or so with my W1's, and can't be happier.

It's about time for new tips. My comply foam tips are pretty worn out, and I need to go ahead and order some new ones.

So my first question is: are there any other tips I should try out?  I feel like these aren't isolating so well, but that may very well be because they are just torn up a lot and need replacing.  Sound quality is fine, I don't feel like I'm really losing anything.

Next issue: a portable amp.

I play music either from my iPhone 4S or my laptop with a crappy audio chip in it.  What portable amp would you guys recommend/if you would recommend one at all?  I tried to EQ from my laptop following a couple of the guides on the website, but wasn't terribly successful after a few hours and ended up scrapping the project :-/

I'm kinda rambly, but what do y'all think? Advice?

 

[dnullify]

Ideally an amp isn't going to change the way the sound is projected, but simply amplify it. the DAC chip on your DAP will still be supplying the signal so unless your phone can't power your W2s sufficiently, an amp is not likely to change the sound very much. And if it does, then it isn't a very transparent amp.
 
Tip wise, if you want foam the only others i have experience with are the shure olives - which are fantastic foam tips. they last A LOT longer than the comply tips and i believe you can even clean them with a wet paper towel without damaging the foam.
 
for your laptop, I'd bring this to your attention: http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=83
apparently it is a ridiculously good DAC at pennies on the dollar - competing with models several times its price. it's pretty cheaply put together, but it probably should push enough juice for your W2.
 
frankly your 4S should be more than enough power-wise, the reviews of the W2 i've read don't indicate it being very power-hungry so ideally sound shouldn't change noticeably with an amp.

 

[Xarmydis]

What if I used the FiiO L9 or something cable to go to an amp from there? For my phone?

 

[dnullify]

by doing that you're bypassing your phone's amp, not it's DAC. all the digital to audio conversion is still being done on the phone. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the DAC on the iphone isn't a bad one.
 
honestly unless you're going to spend more on the portable amp than you did on your westone 2s, you're not going to see much improvement. If anything, you're just adding another link in the chain with an amp which could end up dropping your overall quality. The only reason I'd suggest an amp Is if you were planning on driving something with really low sensitivity, or full sized cans.
I mean, this is only my opinion and i follow one school of thought that not everyone does. I personally think that everything should be transparent up to the headphones - and only the headphone's sound signature should be adding any color (if that). Everything is much easier that way.
 
For your laptop listening, you really only need a DAC (or external sound card if I may). I don't think you'd need a DAC+AMP, but you're welcome to go that rout. Even there, you're looking at $150+.
 
If you stick around here consistently enough you're likely to get upgraditis, and will likely wish you had saved the money (and this comes from experience).
 
If you're bent on an amp, you might as well do it right. the only recommendation i can make is the JDS C421, used on the bst. I went through a lot of research and asked many questions before purchasing that one, and have been entirely satisfied with it.